2012 Custom Self Guided Travel

Build Your Dream Vacation

Just tell us what you'd like to experience, when you'd like to go, and we'll do the rest. Let us spoil you with atmospheric accommodations, exhilarating trails and delectable cuisine.

We also invite you to customize any of our standard self guided itineraries. We can make your tour longer, shorter, simpler, more luxurious, easier, harder, great for kids, perfect for honeymoons, and more. Our longest self-guided tour is a 54-day hike from the Italian Tyrol to the French Alps.

Simply provide us with your intended travel dates and destinations, the level of difficulty of your desired tour, and the type of accommodations you prefer. We'll submit a proposal at absolutely no cost or obligation to you, and we'll continue to amend the proposal until we've arrived at the perfect vacation.

"Our self-guided tour allowed us the flexibility to go whenever and wherever we wanted, to get lost and found, and see things we likely may never have seen or see again. The inns and their keepers were exceptional. We each have our favorite, and all were truly memorable experiences.

Thank you for making our arrangements, and for your courtesy and expertise in helping us plan our trip. We have bragged on and recommended you to our friends, and we look forward to our next excursion with Ryder Walker."

– Michael Pace, Roanoke, Virginia

Image: Crossing the Grand Col Ferret between Italy and Switzerland.

Tour du Mont Blanc, Italy|Porter Teegarden

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Independent Travel Planning Questionnaire

Note: We prepare a fully customized itinerary for most questionnaires, so we might need extra time to process your request. Because we may spend a number of hours preparing your proposal, we ask that you initiate this process only if you are seriously considering a hiking trip to to the Alps in the following season, have read our information on self guided travel, and reviewed those trips which do not require custom planning of their schedule of departures and costs. We thank you for the opportunity to prepare a proposal for custom self guided travel for you, your family or group. Please note, this form is not interactive. It must be emailed, mailed, or faxed to us. We also invite you to call us and begin the planning process by phone.

1. Projected dates for trip: Arrive :___________________ Depart: ____________________
If unknown, how many days do you plan to be in the Alps:_______________________

2. How many destinations do you want to include: ____________________________________

3. Regions or towns of interest: ___________________________________________________
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4. Kind of trip preferred:
____ Trek -- point to point hiking with a new hotel daily.
____Single base -- holiday based in single resort
____Multi base -- holiday based in two or more locations with transportation between destinations.

5. Difficulty of hiking preferred (check all that apply):
____ Strenuous -- includes hikes of ten or more miles with 4,000 or more feet of elevation gain and loss.
____ Moderate -- includes hikes of eight miles and 2,000 to 3500 feet of elevation gain and loss and longer walks with less elevation gain.
____ Gentle -- includes hikes of six miles with less than 2,000 feet of elevation gain.
____ Walking -- predominantly level and downhill walks of six or fewer miles.

6. How many hiking days preferred during trip ______________________________________

7. Hotels preferred. Check all that apply:
____ Luxury hotels (five star and other luxury establishments)
____ First class hotels and inns such as used on guided tours (four star and similar)
____ Tourist class hotels and inns (three star and similar)
____ Simple hotels (bath on hall likely)
____ Berghauses (rugged mountain inns with private rooms)
____ Huts (remote mountain refuges w/ bunk rooms, often no elec. / running water)
Comments: _________________________________________________________________

8. Culinary preferences (Check all that apply. In general, finer cuisine and special diets are available in first class and luxury establishments only):
____ Gourmet cuisine.
____ Fine regional and continental cuisine.
____ Standard regional and continental cuisine.
____ Vegetarian.
____ Special dietary restrictions
Comments: ___________________________________________________________________
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9. Special concerns or limitations of any group members:
_____________________________________________________________________________

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10. Special interests, including other desired activities, touristic and sightseeing interests:
_____________________________________________________________________________
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11. Kind of transportation preferred:
____ 3 day Swiss Pass
____ 8 day Swiss Pass
____ 15 day Swiss Pass
____ 30 day Swiss Pass
____ 1st Class or ____ 2nd Class
____ Other (describe transporation needs below and we will propose a solution):
______________________________________________________________________________
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12. Below, please list names and ages of projected group members and indicate the kind of hotel accommodation required for each (ie. single or double room) Also, please indicate those who will be sharing double or triple accommodations:









13. Additional Comments:










14. Contact Information:
Name:
Address:




Daytime Phone:

Evening Phone, Fax, and Email:

Thank you for providing us with this information. After we have received this questionnaire, we will submit for your approval a proposed itinerary. Once the itinerary reflects your exact interests and desires, we will go ahead and confirm reservations and acquire rail passes for your journey. In order to secure your reservations, we require a deposit of $500.00 per person. We look forward to working with you on your travel plans.